Prankster
by Potterhead2739
Summary: A ten chapter fic. Josh and Principal Kirkpatrick try the father son thing but it doesn't quite go according to plan. While everyone plays the blame game, Josh becomes involved in a sinister plot that could very well cost him his life. R&R or F&F if you'd like. Just some further exploration into Josh and his dad. Rated T for angsty scenes.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Principal Kirkpatrick was in a bad mood. Scratch that, he was furious. First off, accounting had messed up again making him think they had a budget crisis. Then Bobby had started arguing with Kimball and Toby on patrol, so he'd had to bring them back. Then Mr Fitch had been doing something stupid which had resulted in a very expensive bike being crashed. Then some idiot had damaged the weapons storage room. At this point, Principal Kirkpatrick was wondering why he ever became a principal. He was ready to rip the head off the next person who annoyed him. He stormed through the cafeteria.

"Hey Dad!" He heard a voice and in that moment, he barely processed who it was. He didn't care. They probably wanted something.

"What!?" He snapped with such rage that Josh took a step back and a panicked look passed over his face.

"Brett, Yoko and I are back from our mission." Josh said. He gave the sharpest, shortest and best military style report that anyone had ever seen him give. The formality of it seemed to slightly calm Principal Kirkpatrick down. As soon as Josh was done he turned heel and left. Principal Kirkpatrick seemed to only just process that the person he'd just yelled at was his son. And he'd done nothing wrong. He seemed to deflate. A look of horror flickered across his face. He never yelled at Josh unless he had done something wrong, and even then he tried not to raise his voice too much. He felt awful for that. He should go and apologise. He felt terrible. He stormed out of the cafeteria. He did his paperwork and made sure he was completely calm before going to see Josh. When he knocked on the door there was no answer. He was there for five minutes, knocking repeatedly on the door.

"Josh I know you're in there. I can hear you tinkering with your bike." He said loudly. The clatter of metal on metal stopped and the door was yanked open. Josh didn't look happy.

"Yes?" He asked.

"May I come in?" Principal Kirkpatrick asked, hoping to keep a civil tone.

"Sure." Josh said with a shrug. Principal Kirkpatrick walked inside and thanked the heavens that Brett spent so much time in the library. He didn't want an audience. He coughed and Josh turned to him, an apprehensive look in place.

"Josh I want to apologise for my behaviour earlier." Principal Kirkpatrick started. "I've had a bad day and I snapped at you. It's not an excuse and I am sorry." Josh looked at the floor and kicked his foot.

"It's fine dad, it's not like you haven't yelled at me before." Josh said a little grumpily.

"Yes well, I only yell at you when you do something wrong and that's only because I don't want you to do it again." Principal Kirkpatrick said awkwardly. Josh nodded.

"Or, you know, when Brett or Yoko do something wrong and you punish us as a team." He added.

"That's because you should look out for each other." Principal Kirkpatrick said a little snappishly. He took a calming breath. "How about I make it up to you?" Josh eyed him.

"How?" He asked.

"What about a trip in the hornet, just the two of us?" Principal Kirkpatrick suggested.

"You mean your hornet?" Josh asked, looking slightly more enthusiastic.

"Yes mine. I might even let you pilot it officially." Principal Kirkpatrick said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Really?" Josh asked. He knew that would be so much better. He never flew the thing officially and he wouldn't feel guilty when he was flying. When his dad nodded, Josh flung his arms around him. Principal Kirkpatrick was surprised for a second and then he hugged back.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning then." He said, leaving the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Josh was up earlier than normal. He was half dressed in his gear when Brett appeared from under the mountain of covers.

"Josh?" He called. "Why are you up so early?" Josh didn't answer. He'd spent the first few days of school with everyone saying his dad would play favourites with him, they'd quickly worked out that PK was even harsher on his son. Josh still didn't like to mention family time. He knew they'd mock him.

"Tell you later Brett, gotta jet." He said cheekily before darting out of the room. He went straight to the hanger. He was a bit jittery. He sat and waited. His dad wouldn't be up just yet so it was fine. An hour passed and Josh figured his dad probably hadn't meant this early and he had to have breakfast. One hour turned into two and Josh assumed that his dad couldn't just abandon the school, he had work. Three hours passed and Josh thought the work might be taking him a long time. Hadn't there been a budget issue? When lunch time passed, Josh thought his dad may have had a business morning and was having lunch. He considered getting lunch himself but rejected the idea on the grounds that he may miss his dad. Of course, sitting curled up in the hanger bay was not normal behaviour. Sure enough, Bobby saw him a few times and made some mean jokes about Josh being a suck up. Josh ignored him. It didn't help that the caretaker started looking at him worriedly when night started falling. Josh sat there, too numb to move. He didn't think his dad had forgotten. Maybe he didn't care. Or maybe he didn't really want Josh on his hornet. Josh huddled into a tighter ball. He honestly felt a bit like crying. His dad had stood him up before, but never for this long or without a good reason.

It was nearing midnight when Josh heard the thud of footsteps behind him. Someone was running towards him. Josh hopped to his feet and smiled slightly when he saw his dad running to him, slightly out of breath.

"Sorry... the stupid... commissioners... and that annoying... I was in a meeting." He wheezed out.

"It's fine." Josh said. "Can we go?" His dad gave him a look but ushered him on board. Josh sat at the flight controls and was surprised when his dad let him, sliding into the navigation seat.

"You're in charge." He said with a slight smile. Josh knew then that this was a genuine apology. No one was allowed to fly the black hornet except dad. Josh pushed the thruster and they were off. They did a little guided tour around the local solar system, Josh didn't mind the random facts his dad spouted. He made it funny and interesting. When Josh turned to ask his dad about the weird goo thing he'd just seen, his father screamed.

"Look out!" Josh looked out of the window and immediately jerked the steering control. He wasn't considered the best pilot for nothing. They managed to avoid the comet that had come hurtling towards them out nowhere.

"Relax Dad, we're fine." Josh said trying to keep the slight tremor out of his voice. A hand rested on his shoulder.

"Excellent flying." He said gently. "Quick thinking too." He patted Josh's shoulder. Josh beamed at him. They spent the rest of the flight making bad jokes and laughing. It was nearing three in the morning, Earth time, when Josh started drifting off. "Josh?"

"Mmm?" Josh made an incoherent noise. Principal Kirkpatrick frowned. Josh was exhausted. Normally Josh didn't get up until well past eleven on days off.

"Josh, how long have you been awake?" He asked.

"Eight am." Josh said slowly. He seemed to be struggling to keep his eyes open. Principal Kirkpatrick unbuckled his seat belt and moved to take the controls. In Josh's semi-conscious mind, he felt himself sitting in front of something warm and solid. He leant back and relaxed. Principal Kirkpatrick smiled as his son nestled against his chest. He may not always show it but he loved Josh. It was nice to have a little bonding time and see his son relax. Josh made a noise that sounded a lot like a purr and buried himself in his dad's chest. Principal Kirkpatrick flew back to base and carried Josh back to the dormitories. No point in waking him up to tell him to go back to sleep. He made sure no one saw them and crept into Josh's room. Brett was, unfortunately, still awake and doing some weird technical thing.

"Principal Kirkpatrick! I went to find you but you weren't in your room or office." Brett said, jumping to his feet. He didn't register Josh. "Have you seen Josh?" Principal Kirkpatrick wordlessly deposited Josh on his bed, pulled off his shoes and tucked him in. Brett stared at him.

"Josh was with me." Principal Kirkpatrick said. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I was worried about Josh." Brett said timidly. Principal Kirkpatrick nodded.

"Well he's fine so sleep." He said before leaving the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Josh woke up feeling like he'd had the best night sleep in ages.

"Morning Josh." Brett said. He was eyeing Josh weirdly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Josh said, slightly confused. "Why?"

"Well, Principal Kirkpatrick carried you in last night. I thought you might be ill or something." Brett said. Josh flushed slightly. He hadn't been carried to bed by his dad in years.

"Oh well I was out late... and I guess I fell asleep or something." Josh said. He didn't dare admit that he'd been flying with his dad and had fallen asleep on him. Brett would never let him live it down and he'd tell Yoko. Who'd tell everyone else. And then it would get embarrassing. He didn't mind Kirkpatrick as a dad but he knew that people thought his dad would show favouritism.

"Oh. Okay." Brett said. He shrugged. Josh had probably fallen asleep fixing his bike. It probably wasn't the first time. They were dressed and heading out to class when they bumped into Yoko.

"Morning." She said brightly. They were in Mr S's class when the alarm went off. Everyone ran to their defenders. One hour later the threat was called off and everyone was confused. Then Principal Kirkpatrick's face appeared on the monitors.

"Joshua. My office. Now." He grounded out. Josh stared at the monitor. Everyone around him made angry sounds, thinking he had yet again done something stupid. Josh slowly made his way over to his dad's office. His dad glowered at him.

"Hi." Josh said nervously as he slipped into a chair.

"I thought I already told you never to mess with the emergency alarms again." Principal Kirkpatrick said. He couldn't believe that Josh would do something like that again. They'd just spent some family time together. They'd bonded.

"What?" Josh asked. "Wait, you think that I did that?"

"Well you've done it before." Principal Kirkpatrick pointed out.

"Yeah and you made me do the most horrifying test of my life." Josh retorted. "I didn't do this." Principal Kirkpatrick eyed his son shrewdly. Josh genuinely seemed to be telling the truth. He honestly hadn't pulled the prank.

"Alright, I believe you Josh." Principal Kirkpatrick said. "Sorry for immediately assuming it was you." Josh nodded. "I'd better investigate. You're dismissed." Josh walked out without a word. He knew why he had gotten the blame. Pranks were his specialty, but he was surprised that his dad thought he'd pulled the same one. Especially considering how badly it had ended for him. At least his dad believed him when he said he didn't do it. He bumped into Brett.

"I hope you're happy." He said. "We missed lessons because of that prank." Josh rolled his eyes.

"Look I didn't do anything." He said. He paused. He looked at Brett. "And maybe you can help me out."

"What, another prank?" Brett sneered. Josh had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from telling Brett to shut it.

"No. I didn't do that." He repeated. "I was thinking that maybe you should add firewalls to the school's mainframe or whatever it is in geek speak that means it'll be harder to get in." Brett gave him a suspicious look.

"I guess that's a good idea." He said shrewdly. He couldn't imagine why Josh would want the system to be harder to break into if he had done the prank. "Alright. I'll get on that."

"Thanks buddy." Josh said with a mock salute. He walked off to lunch. It was slightly upsetting that everyone thought he'd gone a pulled a false alarm again. They were all avoiding him and making snide comments in their groups. He couldn't see Yoko anywhere so he shovelled some food down and disappeared into his room until classes started again. Fluffy still liked him and tried to make him feel better. He succeeded in making Josh smile, if only a little. Josh went off to class. Everyone ignored him. He preferred that to the horrible mutterings. Josh went to bed feeling as if it was the longest day ever.

"Brett? What are you doing here?" Principal Kirkpatrick asked. The young genius glanced up from the computer.

"After the incident earlier, the mainframe could use some better protection." Brett said. "I'm improving the security."

"Excellent thinking." Principal Kirkpatrick said approvingly.

"Actually Sir, it was Josh's idea." Brett corrected. He didn't think it would be fair to take credit for this, especially considering Josh had gotten into trouble for doing nothing. Principal Kirkpatrick raised an eyebrow.

"That was... thoughtful of him." He said. He believed Josh hadn't done anything. His son was usually honest about these things. Brett went to bed, Josh was already fast asleep. They were all woken up by the sound of an alarm.

"Not again." Josh groaned. He hurried into his gear. Brett wasn't far behind him. "I thought you updated the system."

"I did!" Brett exclaimed. He was checking the system quickly. He couldn't see how anyone got in. A message flashed on his screen.

'Nice try Brett but you have to do better.'


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Brett launched himself at Josh. Josh wasn't expecting it and they both tumbled to the floor.

"You jerk." Brett said.

"Brett what the heck?" Josh asked, he tried to fling Brett off him. The guy may be small but he weighed a fair bit, and he was crushing his spine.

"You broke into my system!" Brett screamed. Josh was just confused now.

"No I didn't." He said. Brett twisted him round.

"Look at what it says Josh!" He snapped. Josh read the message and his eyes widened. "Only you and Principal Kirkpatrick knew I was improving the system! So, unless you think your dad had something to do with it?!" Brett was so angry. He'd trusted Josh! He'd believed him! And Josh had probably lied to him. Sometimes he really hated the guy. The alarm had stopped and Principal Kirkpatrick was running down the hall. He took one look at Josh and Brett and sighed.

"Cadet, if you could get off Josh." He said calmly. Brett got to his feet and started explaining what he thought about what happened. Josh slowly got to his feet. His dad looked at him. "Joshua, you told me you had nothing to do with the alarms."

"I didn't do anything." Josh said. He was getting a bit tired of proclaiming his innocence. Principal Kirkpatrick sighed. He really wanted to be believe Josh. He couldn't see why he'd keep pulling the same prank. But he didn't know anyone else who knew Brett had been updating the systems.

"That's exactly what a guilty person would say!" Brett exclaimed. Josh looked as if he'd been sucker punched.

"It's also what an innocent one would say." He pointed out. "Just because something bad happened, doesn't automatically make it my fault."

"It usually is." Brett said. Principal Kirkpatrick rubbed his face tiredly.

"Dad you don't really think I did this?" Josh pleaded. Principal Kirkpatrick eyes his son carefully. His blue eyes were wide and there was the slightest tremor in his bottom lip. It was never obvious when Josh was upset. And he meant really upset.

"I believe you Josh." He said. Josh's face brightened slightly.

"That's not fair! Just because he's your dad you're getting off!" Brett snapped. Josh looked distraught for a second but then a scowl appeared on his face.

"I didn't do anything." Josh repeated.

"He is not getting off because he's my son." Principal Kirkpatrick said. He knew that was what Josh hated the most about attending Galaxy High. "Josh, until we find out who is behind this I want you to stay within someone's sight at all times." Josh shot him a hurt look. "You are known for pranks Josh." He added rather helplessly. Josh nodded silently. He smiled at Brett.

"I guess we're going to be sticking together." He said. Brett glared at Josh.

"Fine by me." He said. He grabbed Josh's arm and pulled him along. Principal Kirkpatrick sighed in relief. Now he would have reassurance that Josh wasn't involved. He went back to office and started looking for whoever was really the culprit.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

When the water fountains started spewing cream soda instead of water, Principal Kirkpatrick went straight to find Josh. He found Josh and Brett in the library. Josh was quietly working on an engineering puzzle. Brett was doing some very complicated astrophysics work and kept glancing at Josh every other second. Principal Kirkpatrick cleared his throat. Josh glanced up.

"I didn't do whatever it is you think I did." He said. "I've been with Brett the whole time."

"What happened?" Brett asked.

"Water got switched out for cream soda." Principal Kirkpatrick said. He was relieved. Josh had nothing to do with it. "So, Josh has been with you the whole time?" Brett opened his mouth. Then he frowned.

"Well there were ten minutes this morning when I had to do something but Josh was still here when I got back." Brett admitted. Josh looked at him in surprise. He hadn't even noticed Brett leave.

"That wouldn't happen to have been at around 09:00?" Principal Kirkpatrick asked, his stomach sinking.

"Just before that." Brett said. Josh looked at his dad in confusion.

"That would be around the time the switch was made." Principal Kirkpatrick grumbled. He sighed. "You'll have to come with me Josh." Josh looked at him with mild distress.

"But I didn't do anything." He insisted. Principal Kirkpatrick eyed his son. All the evidence was pointing at him. He could believe that Josh would pull pranks like this. They were his style. He just couldn't believe he'd done it right after they'd spent some quality time together. Was he pressing boundaries again? Testing the limits? Or did he think in light of their family time his dad would be more mellow? Principal Kirkpatrick didn't know. He pulled Josh out of the library and led him down the corridor, towards his office. Josh was arguing with him.

"Josh, stop fighting me." Principal Kirkpatrick said sternly. Josh was trying to twist himself out of his dad's grip.

"I didn't do anything." Josh said. He finally pulled his arm free. "Just because something went wrong in your school doesn't mean it's my fault."

"Josh, whenever something like this happens it is usually you." Principal Kirkpatrick pointed out.

"That doesn't mean it's my fault every time." Josh retorted.

"Everyone else manages to be a responsible cadet and not pull pranks every other day." Principal Kirkpatrick said. Josh looked angry.

"So what?" He asked. "Just because I don't conform to your rules I must be at fault?" He took a deep breath and Principal Kirkpatrick took the opportunity.

"Well maybe if you didn't slack off you'd understand why we have those rules." He snapped. Josh recoiled slightly.

"Just because I don't enjoy school like everyone else doesn't make me a bad cadet or irresponsible. You're just saying that because you've never spent more than five minutes away from a military building. I'm not you dad." Josh reminded him.

"Don't take that tone with me Josh." Principal Kirkpatrick snapped. "You could do with following everyone's example and behaving."

"Thanks for reminding me how much of a disappointment I am to you." Josh snapped heatedly. He stormed off in the opposite direction. It wasn't until Josh was out of sight that Principal Kirkpatrick slumped slightly. He couldn't remember having an argument that bad since... since a long time ago. He was angry and upset at Josh but he didn't feel good about yelling at him. He returned to his office alone and felt as if all the fight had been drained out of him. He slumped in his seat.

A few hours later he decided to go looking for Josh, they could make up and talk things out. He wasn't in his room. He wasn't in the Hornet bay. He wasn't in the virtual trainer. He wasn't even in the library. Principal Kirkpatrick checked everywhere twice and asked some of the students. He couldn't find Josh. He couldn't find his bike. Josh was gone and Principal Kirkpatrick had no idea where.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

It was cold. He couldn't see. He shivered. There was a cold laugh and a sharp prick to his neck. The darkness cushioned him.

Principal Kirkpatrick did the responsible thing. He informed the police that Josh had vanished. He had someone check their home. He gave them a list of all the places Josh might go. He also handed them a list of people who would hold a grudge against Josh, or himself. A lot of them were in custody, so Galaxy High checked those themselves. Principal Kirkpatrick spent all his spare time looking for his son. There was no sign of him. And it drove him mad. Everyone seemed to think Josh had just left. But Principal Kirkpatrick knew his son. He didn't just disappear. If he went somewhere, it wouldn't be hard to find him. If you knew what mood he was in. The churning in his gut told him something was wrong. What if something horrible had happened? What if Josh was lost? What if he couldn't reach anyone? What if he'd been captured by an enemy? These thoughts whirled around his head, each conjuring gruesome images. He had to find Josh. He just had to. It had been days. Where could he be? There was a knock on his door.

"Come in." He called. A police officer entered. He was holding someone close to him. Principal Kirkpatrick was on his feet in an instant. "Joshua?!" His son. His baby boy. He hugged his son tightly. Josh tensed before slumping into the embrace.

"We found him in the middle of the forest." The police officer informed him quietly. "He didn't seem to know where he was."

"Thank you Officer." Principal Kirkpatrick said. Josh was shuddering slightly. The officer left and Josh looked up at his dad.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. "I didn't mean to run off."

"We can discuss that later." Principal Kirkpatrick soothed. He didn't care at that moment. His son was okay. "I'm just glad you're safe." He pressed a kiss into his son's hair. "Just don't ever do that again."

"I'm sorry Dad." Josh repeated. He snuggled against his dad. Principal Kirkpatrick was happy that his son was home and looked relatively unharmed but his stomach churned. Something felt off. What had Josh been doing? Why was he in the forest?

"It's alright." Principal Kirkpatrick muttered. He pulled back and smiled at Josh. "Why don't you go to your room and get some rest?" Josh nodded and left the office. Principal Kirkpatrick sat back in his chair. Josh was back. He should be happy. So why did it feel so terribly wrong?

Josh didn't know where he was. He didn't know how exactly he got there. And part of him really didn't want to find out. He remembered storming away from his dad. And then everything went a bit hazy. He could feel a chain tugging at his ankle. His arms were bound. There was a gag in his mouth. He still couldn't see. The room was cold. He wanted to go home. He wanted his dad. He was scared. He could feel his heart racing as the panic bubbled over. What if whoever had grabbed him left him there? What if they were going to let him starve? Or what if they had cruel intentions? And what was this about? Him? Or his dad? Or maybe Yoko or Brett? He shivered in his thin clothes. He just wanted to see his dad again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Despite Josh's safe return, Principal Kirkpatrick still felt uneasy. It didn't feel right. The Josh who'd shown up seemed different. Felt different. Principal Kirkpatrick was certain that the boy he'd held wasn't his son. He didn't know how he knew. He just did. But he couldn't tell anyone. They'd just think he was crazy or if they did believe him, they'd ask where the real Josh was. Something he couldn't answer. Once he may have ignored his instincts but never again. If this imposter was here, then Josh would most likely be close by. He would tear the school apart to find Josh. He could be entirely wrong and his son really could be safe. Then he'd be ruining his relationship with his last little bit of family. Discrete then. Because Josh was Josh and Principal Kirkpatrick knew when his son was in his arms.

"Oh Joshie?" A sing song voice called. Josh started. He was tired and hungry. His body ached from the awkward sleeping position. "Are you awake?" Josh didn't know how he was supposed to respond with a gag in his mouth. He should have made some noise because the next second he was kicked in the stomach, hard. He groaned in pain. "Oh goodie. I'm glad you're awake. I have something really important to tell you." Josh raised his head slightly. "I saw your daddy." Josh's eyes went wide. "We had a nice hug. I think he really likes me." Josh tried to shift out of his restraints. His dad was in danger. He had to get out. "But I may have to get rid of him." Josh made a strangled noise through the gag. He wanted this creep to leave his dad alone. And to let him go. This weird creep who somehow looked like him. Was pretending to be him. Whatever they wanted couldn't be good. "I mean it's only so long until he gets suspicious. But in the meantime, I'll enjoy all the tender loving care he gives me in your place." There was a harsh laugh. It sounded a lot less like Josh and more like the alien's true form. The real Josh winced. He knew he was only being kept alive so the alien could shift into him. If he never got out his dad was never going to see him again. He'd never apologise to his dad for being a jerk. And his dad would probably die without ever realising what had happened. "I've thought about what I want to do for a long time." Josh managed to loosen the gag just enough to use his mouth properly.

"You'll never get away with this." He said angrily. The alien glared through yellow slits. They tied the gag back on. Properly this time. Tighter too.

"Well of course you'd say that." They muttered. "You're Daddy's little soldier. Although why he forces you to stay here when you hate it so much is a mystery." Josh didn't react. He knew exactly why he was at Galaxy high. And he wasn't going to share that information with anyone. "But I have realised something. Your dad loves you." Josh raised an eyebrow as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "And I mean really loves you. It was a delight watching him fret over your disappearance. But imagine how much it will hurt him to watch you die..." They trailed off. "The last thing he'll ever see is his son die. Maybe I'll keep you together for a bit. Let him watch you suffer. Oh, it would hurt him so much to see his little baby in pain." Josh squirmed uncomfortably. He wanted to get out of the restraints as quickly as he could. He strained against them. "Oh, scared for your daddy? How sweet." The alien laughed at his feeble attempts. That only spurred Josh on more. He was determined to escape. There was a noise outside the small room. The alien stopped laughing and frowned. They sniffed the air and stilled. Claws came out and Josh felt another scratch being added to his impressive collection. He felt the warmth of blood and hissed uselessly as the claws pressed down. The alien was gone, replaced by a replica of Josh. They left. Leaving Josh completely alone.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Principal Kirkpatrick was used to hearing all sorts of noises in his school. Still, groaning, mumbling and creepy laughter weren't common. Feeling a familiar churning in his gut, Principal Kirkpatrick went through a maintenance door. Barely anyone used them and it should have rusted over but it opened easily. Someone had clearly used it recently. It was dark, nearly impossible to see. That was probably why it took no more than two seconds to it something. Quite what was a mystery. But it ruined any chance of a stealthy approach. Someone appeared around the corner. It took him a moment to make out the familiar shape of Josh.

"Josh?" He asked cautiously.

"Yeah." They replied.

"What are you doing back here?" Kirkpatrick asked.

"Oh, just needed some peace and quiet." Josh muttered, not convincing at all.

"Right. Well I think we need to talk." Kirkpatrick said. Josh shrugged.

"What about?" He asked.

"Josh you ran away." Kirkpatrick said. "I was worried. Your mother would be disappointed with you." Kirkpatrick waited with baited breath for a response. This would tell him if his son was standing in front of him or not. It was cruel but it would do.

"I know but I needed space." Josh muttered. 'Gotcha.' Kirkpatrick thought. He knew his son well enough to know what his response would be. And that wasn't it. Kirkpatrick took a menacing step forward.

"Alright. Let's cut to the chase. Where is Joshua?" He asked in the most intimidating voice he could. Not-Josh narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." They muttered.

"Don't play around. Where's my son?" Kirkpatrick asked. A twisted smile appeared on not-Josh's face, one that Kirkpatrick had never seen.

"Would you really like to know?" They asked. They took steps back into the shadows and Kirkpatrick heard a panel slide. He rushed to see the gap. There was Josh. His little boy. Tied up and gagged. His son's blue eyes were screaming at him with fear. Too late Kirkpatrick realised he'd left himself wide open. Not a moment later he felt something hit the back of his head. He was down, Josh staring at him in horror.

Kirkpatrick woke up with a slight weight on his chest. Looking down he could make out the outline of his son. Josh was curled up. He didn't weigh that much normally but he seemed even skinnier. He was shivering slightly. Despite the awful throbbing in his head, Kirkpatrick attempted to sit up. He felt his legs chained and his arms bound behind his back. There wasn't a gag in his mouth and he had a horrible feeling about why. Josh shifted, now curled up on his lap. He looked up at his dad. His blue eyes were hazy for a minute and then they widened. Josh sat up, straining against his bonds. He was still gagged. The panel opened and light flooded in, illuminating Josh's pale face. Kirkpatrick curled his legs up, bringing Josh as close as possible.

"Good morning." They said in a sing song voice. The alien was purple skinned, with glowing yellow eyes. It had sharp claws and a snout like nose. Josh curled up into a ball. It was only then that Kirkpatrick noticed the scratches along his son's arms. All of them were deep enough to have drawn blood, some had scabbed over. "Remember me Kirky?" The alien said.

"Zeechrom." Kirkpatrick hissed. "I thought you were still locked away on Gamma Thietron prison." Zeechrom smiled, showing sharp teeth.

"I broke out. I guess you didn't get the memo." Zeechrom said. He slammed the panel shut and walked over, grabbing Josh by the hair and pulling him away from Kirkpatrick. "You locked me up in that hell hole. I didn't do anything worthy of that. You made my life hell, do you know what they do to people like me in places like that?"

"You impersonated and assassinated diplomats from various planets for money. You were tried and sent to prison." Kirkpatrick ground out. He didn't want to anger Zeechrom but it was the truth. Zeechrom glared at him, and yanked the gag out of Josh's mouth.

"You're the reason I was there. Those diplomats were getting fat on their earnings and they never did anything to help. What did it matter if I knocked off a few of their heads? I suffered so much in that prison and now you're going to suffer too." He pulled Josh by the hair again, eliciting a whimper from him. "Your baby boy is going to suffer and you're going to watch. You won't be able to do anything and in the end, you'll beg me to snuff out his pathetic existence." Josh stared at Kirkpatrick. He was terrified.

"You won't get away with this." Kirkpatrick said. Zeechrom smiled and Josh screamed.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Josh slumped against his father as Zeechrom left. He was exhausted and couldn't take much more. Kirkpatrick held him as best he could. Legs scrunched up, head bent. He couldn't make a sound anymore. His voice was hoarse from screaming. Kirkpatrick's wasn't much better from all the yelling. He'd also stopped crying. It had been a long time since he'd cried so much but now that was all dried up. He shook as he curled up closer to the warm body. Kirkpatrick made soft noises that might have been words but Josh couldn't make them out. He was too dehydrated, too tired, too malnourished to process much of anything. Except pain. Zeechrom seemed to excel and finding more and more painful ways to hurt him. All the time Zeechrom was spurred on by Kirkpatrick's pleas. The more he begged for it to stop the more damage Zeechrom would do. His eyes were alight with joy as he did so. Relishing in each whimper, each moan, every scream. This time Josh didn't think they were going to be saved. With his ability to shape-shift, Zeechrom could choose which of them to be. No one would have a reason to go looking for them. And they couldn't bargain. Zeechrom wanted nothing except for Kirkpatrick to suffer. And hurting Josh was a pretty effective way of getting that. Josh wished this was a mission, where everyone knew he was gone and Kirkpatrick wasn't there. Because he trusted his dad to find him. But his dad had found him already and he didn't have an escape plan. That was a good thing too. If Josh was going to die, he'd rather his dad was there. It would be alright. He'd have his last moments with his dad and that was strangely okay.

Josh was lying on the floor, practically motionless.

"Stop this!" Kirkpatrick yelled. He couldn't bear to see his son in such a state. Zeechrom laughed cruelly.

"I'm sorry Kirky, I didn't quite hear you." He sang.

"Please stop hurting him." Kirkpatrick said. His voice was broken. He had tears in his eyes. "Please, just hurt me instead. Please."

"Oh, you want me to stop?" Zeechrom asked. He looked down at Josh. "I don't know. Joshie screams so well. He's so much fun." He nudged Josh with his foot. Josh groaned and raised his head slightly. Zeechrom flipped Josh over onto his back. "I could stop hurting him. Of course, It would be permanent solution." He raised his foot again and slammed it down on Josh's neck. Josh made a choking noise. He started trying to claw at Zeechrom's leg. Everything started going black. Kirkpatrick was screaming.

"JOSH!" Zeechrom laughed and the last thing Josh heard was his dad screaming his name before darkness took him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Josh woke up in the infirmary. He sat up quickly, panicking, and felt his head spin. Someone gently pushed him back onto the pillows.

"It's okay Josh." They said. Josh's eyes stopped producing the swirly dimension and cleared to focus on silver hair, blue eyes and a soft smile. Dad. Josh managed a half smile, although it seemed like more of a grimace. Kirkpatrick ran a hand through Josh's hair. His eyes were red-rimmed and there were deep shadows under them.

"Wha... app... en?" Josh chocked out. Now he was awake his throat was starting to hurt. It felt like just breathing through his mouth was tearing it in two. He felt pain, searing along his back, stomach and ribs. His arms tingled with the little cuts. He looked at his dad in panic.

"Don't worry Josh. Everything's fine." Kirkpatrick said. He was putting on a brave face. "You're going to be okay. It's just going to take some time to heal. The doctors said you'll make a full recovery." Josh nodded as much as he could. He slumped down further into the pillows and allowed his dad to continue stroking his hair. His other hand was holding Josh's. "Yoko and Brett found us, with Mr S. They noticed something was wrong and followed Zeechrom. He's in custody now. They're sending him to a more secure prison." Josh nodded again. He gripped his dad's hand and leaned into the touch.

Kirkpatrick watched his son go back to sleep. He didn't dare tell Josh everything. He didn't want to cause his baby any more pain. Josh had been in the infirmary for a week. The doctors had said it was partially the pain and partially him not wanting to wake up. Kirkpatrick had watched as they'd spent hours meticulously going over his son's body to be absolutely sure they had found every injury. Each time they found another one, Kirkpatrick's heart broke a little more. Just another thing he'd failed to protect his son from. He just wanted to cuddle Josh. Wrap him in bubble wrap and keep him close at all times. Or he wanted him in military school. Because they didn't send people on deadly missions and Josh would learn to protect himself. It was unfortunate really, that Josh was the most capable pilot in the school. If he wasn't so damn good at flying Kirkpatrick wouldn't feel it necessary to send him on difficult missions. But when you're the best and your team mates are just as good you can't help but think they can be relied on to get the job done. He would never tell Josh that he'd spent the two days before they found them sobbing hysterically because he thought his precious boy had died. He wouldn't tell him he'd spent the entire week by his bedside, not getting much sleep and trying to stop tears from flowing. He definitely wouldn't tell him how guilty he felt. The entire thing was his fault. All of it. From blaming Josh for something he didn't do to not stopping Zeechrom from hurting his baby. He'd failed as a commanding officer. But worse, he'd failed as a parent. He continued stroking Josh's hair until finally he conked out.

Josh woke up the next day feeling a fair bit better. He felt a weight next to him. His dad had fallen asleep right next to him, hand still in his hand and his hair. When Josh moved, Kirkpatrick woke up hazily. His eyes softened when he saw Josh and a half smile curved his lips.

"You're awake." His dad said. Josh sat up more, using his dad as leverage. "How do you feel today?" Josh didn't answer, his throat was still sore and he wanted to save his words. He slumped against his dad, using his shoulder as a head rest. It was nice to relax on his dad. A small comfort to him. Except, while Kirkpatrick usually smelled of old spice, coffee and ink, he also smelled of something else. Not strongly, but it was there and Josh knew what it was. He'd have to correct it. Kirkpatrick pulled his son close to him, a warm hug, hand in his hair, the other rubbing circles on his back. Josh just cuddled up to him.

"Dad." Josh started. His voice was croaky and hoarse. His dad hummed in response. "It's not your fault." Kirkpatrick tensed. He started to say something but Josh cut across him, snuggling closer as he did. "It's not your fault. It's that jerks fault. You tried your best. I know you did. It could have been so much worse. You could have never noticed I was gone." Josh paused. He needed to breathe and rest his throat. "I'm glad you were there, with me. And I don't blame you Dad. Not one bit." Kirkpatrick tightened his hug, letting a few tears go.

"Joshua." He breathed. "My boy, I'm so sorry. I should have done better. I'm so sorry." Josh hugged back.

"I know Dad. I know." He said. "But I don't blame you."

"I love you Joshua." Kirkpatrick said. Josh pulled away a bit, a happier smile forming on his lips.

"I love you too Dad." He said.

When the doctor walked in a few hours later she found Josh slumped on Kirkpatrick's chest, both sleeping peacefully in the bed. She thought it was about damn time too. They needed their rest.


End file.
